1967 -
{New York City To L.A. -– Acappella All The Way!} Human / New York In The Dark
(Various Artists) (Acappella Records LP 1001)

Unreleased:

1964 -
Come On And Help Me (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
Kicked Around (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
Kicked Around (alternate version) (Blue Cat)

1964 - Oo-Wee
Oh Me Oh My (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)

1964 - Oo-Wee
Oh Me Oh My (alternate version) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
Santa’s On His Way (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
Strange Things (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
The Tide Has Turned (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
The Boy From New York City (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
The Boy From New York City (backing track, no lead vocal) (Blue Cat)

1964 -
The Boy From New York City (alternate version) (Blue Cat)

1965 -
Johnny My Boy (alternate version) (Blue Cat)

1965 -
The Slime (Blue Cat)

1965 - You'll
Always Be In Style (Blue Cat)

Biography:

The Ad-Libs might seem like an odd combo to call a
"girl group." After all, the band consisted of one woman and four
men. But their sound was thoroughly in the girl-group style. Their release,
"The Boy from New York City," was a monster hit in early 1965 and was
later covered by Manhattan Transfer.

The Ad Libs (1964)

The strong voice that led "The Boy from New York
City" was that of Mary Ann Thomas. Prior to her joining the group, the
all-male band, from New Jersey, was called the Creators. Consisting of Hugh
Harris, Danny Austin, James Wright, John Alan and Chris Cole, the group had a
virtually invisible release in 1963 with "I'll Stay Home."

The Ad Libs (1964)

They re-grouped in 1964, with only Hugh Harris and
Danny Austin staying, and were joined by Dave Watt and Norman Donegan. They
added Mary Ann Thomas as their female lead. Under the tutelage of songwriter
John Taylor, a saxophone player who had been in the music business since the
1930s, they created a new sound heavily influenced by jazz and big band
flavors.

The Ad Libs (1965)

But what to name the new group, who wanted to
differentiate themselves from the Creators name? Though they were pressured to
call the group the Cheerios (perhaps by Taylor), they instead chose a name
based on a hot New York nightclub.

The Ad Libs (1965)

The Ad-Libs, as they were now known, cut a demo with
Taylor that featured a driving piano rhythm: "The Boy From New York
City." Taylor presented the demo to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller of Blue
Cat Records. It was an unknown group, but the song had snap and they agreed to
give it a try, releasing it as a single in December 1964.

By March 1965, the song reached number eight on the
pop charts. For their second hit, the group used a back-catalogue song written
by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, "He Ain't No Angel." The song had
been earlier recorded in a fast-paced, gospel style by Leola & The Love Joys.

The Ad Libs (1965)

It wasn't the right song for the right group, even
with the Ad-Libs' treatment of the song. (The Barry/Greenwich tune "Chapel
of Love" had a similar fate: Phil Spector wasn't pleased with the
Ronettes' version and wouldn't release it. When the Dixie Cups recorded it
later, Greenwich knew their treatment of it was a can't-miss sound, and it
became a number-one hit.)

The Ad Libs (1967)

Two other singles by the Ad-Libs ("On the
Corner" and the funky "Just a Down Home Girl") failed to chart,
and the Ad-Libs were dropped by the Blue Cat label.

Chris Bartley & The Ad Libs (1977)

They tried singles with other record labels
("Think of Me" on Karen Records and "New York in the Dark"
on Eskee Records), then signed with Share Records of New York and released
"Giving It Up," which made it to 34 on the R & B charts. During
the next years, there were group member changes and more songs but none of them
scored. Their last releases were many years later, with "I Stayed Home
(New Year's Eve)" in 1988 and "Santa's On His Way" in 1999.

The Ad Libs (1981)

Their time was truly brief but blazing: in the day
when albums could quickly be slapped together by adding the group's demos if
they hit it hot, the Ad-Libs never had an album release when they were famous.
Sadly, Mary Ann Thomas passed away a few years ago of pancreatic cancer.

Guten morgen, Krobi! I was thrilled to see a comment from you on my blog and even more excited to find this great blog of yours. I am eager to follow you, to learn and be entertained.

I was age 15 when the Ad Libs achieved their big hit and it was a pleasure to hear for the first time their excellent early sides as the Creators. I also enjoyed their later Ad Libs recordings particularly "Johnny My Boy." Es tut mir leid to learn that Mary Ann Thomas has passed away. Hers was one of the most distinctive female voices of my youth.

Thank you again for visiting SDM&M and taking a look at what I'm doing, Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Krobi!

HiJust trying to carry out some research on the Ad Libs vocalist Mary Ann Thomas, but have been able to find very little.She apparently came from Bayonne, New Jersey, was spotted by the group while performing at the Fabian Theatre in Hoboken, New Jersey, and parted company after the group left Blue Cat Records. She returned for the singles 'Nothing Worse Than Being Alone' (1970) and I'll Sta Hone' (about 1988) before leaving again. She apparently died of pancreatic cancer but I've not found a date for this. If anyone has any extra biographical info (such as, was she the Mary Ann Thomas who released a couple of singles on the 20th Fox label in 1959-60) I'd love to hear.Thanks, Jeremy